Virginia Institute of Government Update July 2022

By Charles Hartgrove, Director, VA Institute of Government (VIG)

VIG welcomes local government leaders from across the country for the Senior Executive Institute program this month.

The VIG team is excited to host 38 municipal and county leaders for two weeks in Charlottesville at the first SEI program held since 2019 later this month. We are very pleased that 24 of the participants represent Virginia cities, counties, and towns. SEI offers top local government executives and large locality department leaders strategies and hands-on techniques to skillfully navigate the complex and fast-changing world of local government.

We are still accepting applications for the final three LEAD programs in 2022 that will be held on the following weeks later this year: August 20-26, October 15-21, and November 12-18. LEAD consists of a one-week course taught by subject matter experts and local government practitioners focused on creating well-equipped, agile, and high performing local governments.

VIG is also offering our popular two-day virtual leadership program on September 13-14. "Balancing Leadership: Personal, Professional, Organizational, and Community" is a two-day immersive experience with an updated combination of LEAD and SEI's most critical and relevant topics with timely additions designed to help any local government leader. The program includes sessions on "Creating a Positive and Productive Work Culture through Inclusive Leadership and Employee Engagement", "Leading Change", "Resilience", and "Race and Equity, Leadership Challenges." This program is open to both new participants and alumni of SEI and LEAD.

VIG assistant director for leadership development, Molly Harlow, said "We are so excited to have SEI this year and to assist another class of amazing local government leaders in guiding their organizations and communities into the future. We have received rave reviews from our redesigned LEAD curriculum and anticipate that SEI will be just as rewarding for our SEI participants.”

Program participants who work for VIG member localities receive an automatic 10% discount applied to all program costs. Please contact Molly or me if you have any questions. Please see our website for more information: vig.coopercenter.org.